Sea Inspired Meditation Embroidery - a new block

 
                     A week passes and the weather is still wild out there !
          We wrapped ourselves up and ventured out for a walk and to get some fresh air into our lungs . . . but we could hardly stand up in the wind  so we sat in the car and watched the waves for a while .

           I have begun lighting the fire occasionally now in the evenings .

I decided to begin another piece of embroidery , another block , which will be added to my other sea inspired crewel embroidery .
 

 It is a Daisy-Wheel , a symbol of protection from evil , often found carved into the wooden beams of old cottages ; also on the walls and doors of medieval churches .

Unfortunately my camera hasn't really captured the rich purple shade that I have chosen ....or maybe it is the lamp light which has given it a yellowy tint .

We popped into Tesco's Cafe where I enjoyed a hot chocolate and stitched a bit more of it .....the light isn't very good in there....much better in Sainsbury's where I can sit beside the window .

                      Then I did a little more at bedtime , before sleep again  .
                    Those two bundles are my hot-water-bottles .

                                        Actually I did quite a lot more .

    Here are the other two strips that I have been slowly working away on  .
I have pretty much prepared everything now for Christmas . Cards and gifts written , wrapped and sent . I have a Christmas tree up and a few other decorations , but not as much as I usually do .
I do love Christmas , but I'm trying not to get all worried about it all .... which I usually do .
Embroidery is very calming for me .
The colours I am working with , are deliberately not Christmas colours  .
       I,m stitching myself calm .

                    I thought I,d begin the purple outer ring before sleep .

 I was listening to Classic FM which was playing such beautiful Christmas music
that I didn't notice the time .
.

                                I even filled in between the petals !
It looks pink , but actually it is a pale shade of blue .
Once again the camera hasn't quite caught the colours correctly in my bedside lamp light .
Hopefully it will look better with the other pieces that I am dreaming in my mind to do .

 We are on an Amber weather warning for the next few days ....but it seems to be coming up from the south so it is not too cold ......

                       ...........and I,ve seen far bigger waves than this !

 We drove down to Poldhu to watch the Starlings coming in to roost in the reeds .

                             They put on such a magnificent show !
 

      Drifting together in ever changing shapes so beautiful and then suddenly dropping into the reeds and they sound so cheerful too .
     It is great to watch them .

                           Then home for tea and to light the fire again .
                        The wind is still howling , but should ease up later .
                              Hope it's not too bad where you are !

Comfort Stitching - Autumn

Autumn has arrived , rainbow leaves tumbling in the wind .
Breezy dog walking down our country lane , I gather pretty leaves and wish that they would keep their beautiful brazen colour on the trees for longer ... the weather has been mild during the day , cold by night ..but no frost . Last night we had some rain ...dry today here in Mullion , but the cold North wind is blowing .
 Time to dig out the warmer jackets .

                         So I came home with my handful of pretty leaves .
To my cupboard of wool to find Autumn colours , needle and thread ....

I found an old vintage tray cloth , a lovely , soft piece of honey coloured  linen and with a pencil drew around my leaves ....I found a way to save my pretty leaves ! I began to stitch ..just simple easy needle-painting with my crewel wool .

I felt that I had to work fast in the beginning , as my leaves are turning crisp and the colours changing . This , I thought , is good for me, teaching me not to obsess about my work nor linger too long .....

Always several projects on the go ! I,m making wreaths and birdies and dolls and aprons and always thinking , thinking ahead of what I will make in the future .....

Once I have stitched around the outside of  my leaves , I worked the veins , I chose my colours and realised I could slow down the pace , this is not a race after all and now it becomes more relaxing ......the way I like to stitch .....what I call my "comfort stitching" ...... sigh .... breathe ......relax .....

    "Comfort stitching" is just my stitching for joy and relaxation .....please dont ask me " Yes , but what is it going to be ?" ...It is just a joy to do ...a simple reflection... a meditation ....a prayer .

                       The soft crewel wool is comforting in my hands .

Today I noticed the Oak tree changing , they turn from Emerald green and gold then to paper bag brown and hang on to the branches far longer than the other tree's leaves .

         I gathered a few branches blown down during the rain last night .

               I worked the outline and veins of a plain brown Ivy leaf .....

...enjoyed painting the scarlet Hawthorn leaf ...the trees are heavily laden with berries .

Another Ivy leaf ....this one is butter yellow . I worked closely couching the veins in the same colour as the rest of the leaf .

This afternoon I baked a chicken,bacon and mushroom ,n,vegetables pie with a puff pastry crust , a pile of mash and buttered carrots . We took the dog for her second walk down the lane .I gathered a few more Hawthorn leaves as my other ones had changed their hue.
 Later on I relaxed on my bed and worked the little randomly scattered straight stitches between the veins on that brown Ivy leaf . I work these stitches which gently support the"long and short"stitches that I will stitch over the top of them .
 I noticed some dark spots on the sycamore leaf and put them in with tiny colonial knots ...I need to work the darker edges .

             The two original leaves and two freshly fallen Hawthorn .

 I left the brown Ivy leaf after couching the veins over and over...this leaf is just varying shades of brown ..tough on the eyes ....I will come back to it later .
I embroidered the central vein of the second little pencilled in Hawthorn leaf and am just deciding which way to work the colours .
   So that is as far as I have come with it today .
I,ll do a little bit more of it in my bed before I fall asleep .

 This is one of my dolls that I acquired a couple of years ago....but I will tell you about him another time .
 The Chicken pie was yummy !
  What are you "Comfort Stitching " ?